First Appearance: Chespirito (TV Show - later he would get his own
show)

Powers/Abilities: He was stronger than a mouse, he used some pills
called "pastillas de chiquitolina" (pills of "small-ina") which gave him
the power to shrink, and he had a mallet called "El Chipote Chillon" (the
"Crying bump" or "crying bruiser") that he used to fight against the villains.
Also he had his "antenitas de vinil" (Vinil little antennas) which he used
to search for villains and danger.

He also used "La Chicharra paralizadora" (the paralyzing cricket or holding
horn or coronet) which when he sounded immediately immobilised everyone
who hears it or has been targeted by it, until he sounds it again. Often
while his enemies were thus frozen he would kiss the girl who had been in
danger, or reposition villains who had been about to hit him so that they
would strike one of their allies instead.

History:
El Chapulin Colorado is a comical, bungling superhero who takes a pill to
shrink down in size, allowing him to breach criminal hideouts.

Comments:Played by Roberto Gómez Bolaños, who
invented him as the "Latin American antithesis of Batman or Superman". As
well as appearing on television, he's also made the natural progression into
comics (see right).

The Bumble Bee Guy in the Simpsons is based on this character.

Omar Rovelo sent me extensive notes on this character, informing me that
"Chapulin is more like the grasshopper than the cricket", translating Chillon
for me, telling me about his paralysing horn (about which he also notes "I
don't know the exact name of it is a kind of horn the kind that some bicycles
and old automobiles used, it is a brass hornet with a rubber pump in the
other side and you press it to make it work.") Omar finally notes that "Please
notice that every one of his objects and the other characters created by
Roberto Gomez begin with a Ch (Chapulin, Chicharra, Chipote Chillon, Chiquitolina
and characters like El Chavo, La Chilindrina, el Dr. Chapatin o el Chompiras)."
Thanks for all this Omar.

Gerardo Sibaja writes to inform me "Currently, El Chapulin Colorado as well
as the other Characters created by Chespirito are still aired all over Latin
America and even Spain, being one of the most seen and long lasting shows
of all time. The first episodes aired in the early 70´s and were still
being filmed until the late 90's. At the present moment, Disney formalized
negotiations with Chespirito in order to produce a new version of animated
Chapulin Colorado, which is to be aired in the US as well as in the rest
of America. El Chapulin is one of the best known comedy characters of all
the Spanish speaking world, and could soon be known the world over." Thanks
Gerardo.

Enrique Cruz adds that the character has a number of catch-phrases associated
with him. The call that makes him appear: "ho! ¿y ahora quien podrá
ayudarme?" (ho! and now who will be able to help me?). When someone calls
this, then el Chapulin appears of out of nowhere responding "¡Yo el
chapulin colorado!" (I, the red cricket)

Other famous phrases: "¡no contaban con mi astucia!" ("you did not
count on my cleverness!), "¡siganme los buenos!" (follow me the good
ones!), "ya lo dice el viejo y conocido refran:" ("it says the old and well-known
proverb "). He almost always mixes up the proverbs and gets confused, in
the end saying: "bueno, esa es la idea" ("well, that is the idea") Thanks
for this Enrique. Cecilia Wandiga adds another catchphrase - "mis antenitas
de vinil estan detectando algo sospechoso" (my vinyl antennas are detecting
something suspicious)"; Abraham Gonzalez says this should more accurately
be "mis antenitas de vinil están detectando la presencia del enemigo
(my vinyl antennas are detecting the presence of the enemy)."

Aleja Santos adds yet another of his catchphrases: "Que no panda el cunico",
which is really meant to be "Que no cunda el panico" (means, don't freak
out, don't spread panic). It's another of the phrases Chapulin gets mixed
up.

Eric Villegas adds "A few notes on El Chapulin Colorado. His main weapon
(el Chipote Chillón) was a very popular toy in Mexico when I was a
kid (the 70's). I don't know if it existed before, or because of, El
Chapulín. The mallet was made of plastic and it squeaked when it hit
something, and hence the name. The name "Chapulín" is purely Mexican,
derived completely from the nahuatl (Aztec language) word for grasshopper."

Thanks to Gerardo Garcia for information on his enemies and allies, and thanks
to Ernesto Escobedo Pérez for providing his true identity.